


Go for it, Hikari!

by orphan_account



Category: Harvest Moon: Animal Parade
Genre: Alcohol, Banter, F/F, Useless Lesbians, i guess thats it for tags uhhh, other townspeople mentioned but those three are the main, writing both names in the tags is such a pain, yes i have schoolwork to do why do you ask?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:21:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26532040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: “Is this how you react to every pretty girl you see?” Owen asked.“Yes. My life is hell,” Hikari mumbled. “But this time is particularly strong, because she is gorgeous and I am dying.”-Hikari has a crush on Selena. The logical conclusion is to ask her out.Unfortunately, Hikari is also stupid.
Relationships: Molly | Hikari/Selena | Sheila
Kudos: 10





	Go for it, Hikari!

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this self indulgent fanfic like, 3 years ago in the notes app on my ipod because i was super embarrassed by it and that seemed like the best place to hide it. I was surprised by how well it held up? Its actually kinda cute.  
> I had to actually write an end for it but now that its seeing the light of day, I hope past me would be happy with it. 
> 
> Please enjoy!

Hikari laid her head face down on the small table in front of her.

“Noooooooooo…” she whispered into the table.

“What's wrong this time?” Owen asked with a sympathetic look in his eyes.

“So many things,” she said, her voice muffled by the table.

“That doesn't really answer my question.”

“I'm gay.”

“Didn't we already have this conversation?”

Hikari lifted her head to look him in the eye.

“No, I mean, look at her,” she said, waving her hand over in Selena's direction. She propped her head up in her arms, leaning her elbows into the table as she watched Selena dance. The brass bar was warm and bright, with cheery music playing from the jukebox in the corner. A few people had gathered in the room, with conversation and clinking glasses making the bar livelier and even more homey. Kathy was leaning over the bar to talk to Luke and strangely enough, the town wizard (Hikari didn't think having a town wizard was normal, but hey, roll with the punches), whom he had managed to drag out of his metaphorical cave. Luke exploded in a fit of boisterous laughter over something the wizard had said meekly into his cup of water, and Kathy almost doubled over as well. Phoebe and Calvin were chatting amiably at a corner table, Barbara, Yolanda and Dale were talking closer to the front, so Hayden could make the occasional comment or grunt as he listened in, but at the center, Selena danced on stage. When she did a particularly flashy move, the whole crowd would cheer, clap, and egg her on, while her face flushed red with pride. 

Owen raised an eyebrow. “She's a good dancer, but…”

“Ughhhhhh.” Hikari pressed her face into her hands.

“Is this how you react to every pretty girl you see?” Owen asked.

“Yes. My life is hell,” Hikari mumbled. “But time is particularly strong, because she is gorgeous and I am dying.”

“Huh.” Owen sipped his drink. Hikari was pretty sure this bar only sold cocktails, but Owen had a gin and tonic. She sighed with frustration.

“Why haven't you asked her out?”

“You're just so direct and confident all the time.” she said, between unladylike sips of her cocktail. “You don't know anything about hesitating. Aren't you ever nervous or scared of rejection?” She held her drink loftily in one hand, and held her head in the other. She swirled the glass, watching the last few drops spin.

“Of course I get nervous, but what's the point of dreading rejection that might happen when you can just get it over with? It's much better to be straightforward, and tell people how you feel,” Owen said, with audible “hmph.”

“Uh-huh,”

“Are you even listening to me?”

“Nope,” Hikari said, watching Selena's graceful movement from the corner of her eye. She felt her face flush. “You aren't worth listening to, anyway,” she said through a shit-eating grin.

Owen shoved her with his elbow. “Maybe if you  _ listened _ to me, you could manage to ask a girl out,” he suggested. 

Hikari glanced at him, smiling lazily. “By the way, how's it going with Kathy?”

“It's going better than your love life, at least,” he muttered.

Hikari slapped his shoulder and scoffed. He laughed quietly and she glared in return, before lifting her drink to her lips and downing the whole thing in one gulp while very nearly maintaining perfect eye contact. She slammed her empty glass down and stood up, leaning hard against the table as she swallowed and steadied herself.

“That's it,” Hikari said, her face redder than before, “I'm going to ask her out. Right now.” Her eyes burned with a determination Owen hadn't seen in her before. 

“She's working right now, and she won't be done until the bar closes a couple hours later,” he pointed out.

“Dammit.” Hikari landed in her chair just as suddenly and dramatically as she had risen. She poked at her bottom lip and fidgeted her fingers restlessly. 

“She won't want to be bothered at three am, either. She might turn you down just because she's too tired to deal with it. You know how she is.”

“DAMMIT.” Hikari slammed her fists on the table and laid her head face down on it, practically vibrating with frustration.

Owen gingerly patted her shoulder. Kathy raised an eyebrow at them from across the room. Owen waved a hand at her dismissively. 

“I can't stand this,” Hikari muttered into the table once more. “I get so blushy and distracted when I'm around her, and it shall bring about my doom.” 

“Probably not,” Owen said. He patted her shoulder again for good measure. It seemed to work acceptably. 

“No, I will see her beautiful face and forget where I'm going and walk off the dock to be eaten by sharks,” she said.

“I don't think there are any sharks in the area at all, and if there were any, they wouldn't be waiting by the dock to eat you,” he said soothingly.

“Then I shall be eaten by particularly rude sardines, and the whole town shall weep for me. 'She was just too gay to handle the local dancer’, they will say. ‘She was beautiful and taken far too young. So beautiful. Gorgeous and wise’.”

“I'll get that engraved on your tombstone for you,” he said, with extra soothe.

“Thanks.”

They sat in silence, listening to the music and chatter. Hikari's face remained dejectedly flat against the table.

“How about you promise me to tell her tomorrow morning?” Owen asked carefully, breaking the silence.

Hikari remained silent for so long, Owen began to wonder if she was asleep. Just before he tried to poke her awake, she flipped her head onto its side.

“Buy me another rice cocktail and it's a deal,” she said.

“That's the most expensive drink on the menu!”

“Double or nothin’, rock boy!” She shouted. Owen winced.

“What does that even  _ mean _ ?”

“Double. Or. Nothin’,” she hissed.

“Fine. The things I do for you…” he said with mock exhaustion.

Hikari smiled satisfactorily.

-

The morning was clear and calm. Hikari was neither of those things. She stood outside of Sonata Tailoring, frozen on the spot. Many of the townspeople had come outside to enjoy the morning before their businesses opened for the day, and Selena and Kathy were among them. Selena was talking to Kathy about something. They hadn't noticed Hikari. Hikari thought very intensely about walking over to them in an attempt to convince herself to move. It didn't work. Kathy told a joke and Selena laughed, pristine smile cracking her face. Hikari blushed red and started talking herself into leaving.

“Double or nothing, ranch girl~”

“OHGODDESSSWHATTHEHELL”

Hikari jumped near five feet in the air. 

Candace gave them both a sort of annoyed look from where she was watering the shrubbery outside her shop, which was the best she could do to look disapproving. Hikari frowned apologetically and shot a glare at Owen, who was laughing in his odd wheezy way, and trying to hide it in his hand. His smile was as warm and cozy as a bonfire surrounded by friends. Dammit. Her glare weakened, but only slightly.

“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” She hissed.

“Always. How's the date going?”

“Well, I got to right about here, but then I saw her and now I'm going home.”

“You can't go home, you promised, and this is for your own good.”

“I was drunk.”

“Only slightly. C'mon,” Owen patted her shoulder. “Do you really wanna break your promise?”

“Absolutely.”

“You'll owe me at  _ least _ three cocktails.”

“Three?! You only bought me one!” She squawked.

Owen shrugged. “The other two are for emotional damages.” His expression softened and he put a hand on her shoulder supportively.

“Listen, I believe in you. You can do this.”

“Really?”

Owen nodded. Candace gave her a thumbs up from across the street. 

“Yeah. Yeah, you're right! I can do this!” She put her hands on her hips and lifted her head, eyebrows furrowed in determination. Candace and Owen smiled at her. There was a pause as they waited for her to move.

“Hikari? Aren't you going to move?” Candace asked, stepping forward. 

“Absolutely not.”

“Oh no, are you hurt?!” 

“Only internally.”

Candace wrung her hands worriedly.

“You know what?” Hikari swung around and started walking away. “I'm leaving. I can't do this.”

Owen sighed in disappointment. At least he would get free drinks out of his friend's pathetic and ultimately tragic behavior.

“Hey, Hikari!”

A chill ran down Hikari's spine.

She turned her head, only to see Kathy waving her down. 

“Whatcha doin’ there, girly?” She called. She had a devilish look to her eye. Hikari was going to murder her. 

She walked to short distance over to Kathy, keeping her gaze entirely focused on her instead of Selena. 

“Just talkin’ to Owen and Candace. Owen's bugging me bout somethin,” she said, waving it off with an eye roll.

“Ooh, really? What about?” Selena asked, hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with interest.

Aw, dammit.

“Oh, just, y'know…” she said, not making eye contact. She struggled on her words for a moment, but decided  _ fuck it _ . “Uh, anyway!” She said, clapping her hands together a little too loudly, “Selena, would you like to… um, uh, come have dinner at the ranch before you work tonight?” 

“ _ Holy shit,”  _ she heard Owen whisper behind her. She ignored him, barely.

She gesticulated wildly, like she was trying to keep her balance, and said, “Just because I was trying out a recipe for pineapple upside down cake I got from your parents and I wanted to see if I did it right, and you would know best of all people and uh, yeah.” She cut her rambling short, looking away, her face so hot it stung.

“Oh, sure!” Selena trilled, delighted. “Oh, it'll be just like home, y'know? I can't cook at all so I've been missing the recipes. I've tried to convince Chase to make some, but he's all ‘you’d have to pay me’ and ‘you don't even have to recipes, how the hell am I supposed to make that?” Selena pouted. “It's unfair, is what it is. He should make it just because I tell him to.”

Hikari giggled into the back of her hand, breathless from adrenaline. “Okay, okay. I'll pick you up at four, then.”

Selena grinned and flipped her crimson hair.

-

“So, point one, it's not an official date.” Hikari punched his shoulder.

“Point two,” he persisted, “she’s going to be in your house, alone,” Owen said, wiggling his eyebrows. 

Hikari shuddered. “Never do that again. I didn't know your face could do that…”

“Besides the point. You should be ecstatic.”

“I have to make pineapple upside down cake, now.”

“Love hurts, darling.”

She squeaked and shoved him with her arm. “What the hell is up with you today?” She rubbed at her red cheeks and scowled. “Are you drunk? You're acting weird.”

“What, I can't be happy for you?” 

Hikari wrinkled her nose. “Definitely drunk.”

“Pff, whatever. Start baking already, you'll have to get her soon.”

Hikari pulled a face and started getting ingredients from her cupboards.

“I don't know why I let you help.”

“Weird, I remember you begging me to help you.”

“You've been hallucinating,” she muttered.

He was an actually decent help in the kitchen. They were both  _ alright _ cooks, so together, they managed to not screw up horribly. Hikari even prep'd to make fried sea bass, like an amazing, talented multi-tasker. Owen rolled his eyes when she asked him to clap for her, but she knew he was proud. After all their hard work, Hikari got to pop the cake in the oven, check the timer, and sink to the ground with a sigh. 

“Fuck, that took forever.”

“Woah, language,” Owen said, dry as sandpaper.

She rubbed her nose with the back of her hand, only succeeding in covering more of herself in flour. Owen chuckled, but she didn't care. She had decided that it was a Look. 

“I'm inventing fashion,” she said. “They will put me in Vogue.”

Owen shook his head and laughed again. 

“Ok,” Hikari said, hopping up on her kitchen counter, popping a cherry into her mouth. She relished the taste for a moment, relaxing her breathing. She swallowed, and said, “what's really up with you? You were definitely acting weird earlier.”

Owen half shrugged, and stuffed a handful of cherries in his mouth. Hikari felt her chest swell with pride. They were cherries she had grown herself, and picked this morning. It was something she had done herself, something she had worked for. Owen gave her a double thumbs up as he chewed ceremoniously.

After a few moments, when she had stayed silent and waiting the whole time, he seemed to realize she wasn't backing down. 

“I've been kind of cooped up in the blacksmith's for a while,” he admitted, ducking his head. “It's just messing with me. I haven't been able to go to the mines in a while, because Roy's been getting on me about it. He thinks I spend too much time down there.”

Hikari raised an eyebrow. “It's your job. He can't tell you what to do, you can handle yourself.”

Owen sighed. “I know, but I don't want to make trouble for him. He's done so much for us.”

Hikari smiled sympathetically. “I know how that feels. Sometimes I barrel through anyway, and it just makes me feel like the worst.”

“Yeah?” Owen tilted his head.

“Yeah. I never know what to do. Always feels like the wrong thing,” she said. She drew her legs up to her chest and held them, folding together neatly. 

“I think you're alright, Hikari,” Owen said.

Hikari laughed lightly. “Hey, I'll take it. Alright's all I want, anyway.” 

Owen smiled.

“Really. Thanks.” Her eyes shone with genuine affection.

The timer rung, and Hikari hopped down with a thud, dusting flour off her apron. She snatched up the oven mitts, and pulled the pan out of the oven. 

“Clear a space for me,” she called out.

Owen shoved aside some ingredients and put down a cloth to put it on. He let her past with the hot pan, then started to put away ingredients, deftly moving around the cake so he wouldn't burn himself. 

Sugar, butter, milk, baking powder, etc. were quickly put away as they worked together. Then, she started breading the spare fish fillets she'd had on ice, but a glance at the clock made her jump.

“It's half an hour till already! Ah, should I get ready? What do I do, what do I do…” she looked back and forth between her trays of fish and the clock, fluttering in between in an almost panic.

“Woah, chill out, seriously. I'll handle the fish, ok?” Owen said, rinsing his hands and quickly replacing her. 

Hikari thanked him hurriedly, washing her hands as thoroughly as she could and smacking them on her apron, rushing to choose something to wear. Her work clothes and apron wouldn't be appropriate, right? And something too fancy wouldn't be right, either. It wasn't a big deal, right?! She practically tore apart her dresser, slamming drawers as she gathered a clothing on her arm, and finally raced to the bathroom, slamming that door behind her, too. 

She leaned over the counter, scrutinizing her appearance. Soft, fluffy brown hair curling inward onto her face, which had a few acne scars, especially underneath her bangs. She untied her apron and the bandanna she had tied up her hair in, casting them onto the floor. Next, gloves. She glanced at her rough, scarred, calloused hands and shook her head. 

_ Don't worry about it, idiot. _

If she started analyzing her appearance for whether or not Selena would find her attractive, she would go crazy. She knew this from experience, and also, it was a stupid thing to do. Made her feel like a teenager.

She pulled off her work clothes and changed into a dress that she had decided was appropriately casual. It had sleeves that went halfway down her arms, and it wasn't skin tight.

She fidgeted with accessories for too long then gave up entirely, leaving herself as she was. (Which was a grown-ass woman, by the way, and not a stupid, infatuated teenager.)

She exited the bathroom and shoved her clothes into various places with reckless abandon. 

Owen was washing his hands again, with all the fish breaded. 

“Ah, you beautiful bastard, I could kiss you,” she sighed dreamily, relieved by the sight of everything practically finished and ready. 

“Except that you are gay.”

“Except that I am gay,” she conceded. “I could kiss your cheek or something, though. Don't you want a piece of this?”

“No.”

“And to think, just moments ago I was, and I quote,” ‘alright’,” she sighed, mock fainting against her fridge.

“You get so dramatic when you're hyped for a date. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed you, for the better of mankind,” Owen said, rolling his eyes as he poured oil into a pot. Hikari gasped. 

“Betrayal,” she hissed.

“I'm going to hit the road. Tell me how the date goes, yeah?” Owen said.

“Mhm,” Hikari hummed, bouncing on her heels with excitement. 

“Don't burn your house down,” he called to her from the doorway.

“I resent that remark!” She yelled, trying to catch his ear before the door shut closed. 

Hikari checked the time. Fifteen minutes, give or take. 

She turned up the heat on the stove, letting the oil warm up. As it did, she slid a knife around the edges of the cake pan, so the cake would transition smoothly onto the plate. Finn twinkled in the rafters, an ever present sparkle in the corner of her eye. The summer heat made him sleepy.

She put a serving plate on the table, prayed to whatever Gods may be out there, and flipped the pan upside down onto the plate so the cake would fall out right side up. It did, with minimal chunks of cake left behind. Hikari did a fist pump and felt victory overtake her. She was the champion. It was her.

The oil started to bubble, so she took her tongs and used them to transfer fish in and out, when she was sure they were properly fried. They wouldn't cool too quickly in the summer heat, so she left them on a tray, shut off the stove, and moved the oil to the back burner so it could cool slowly. 

She glanced at the clock. Five minutes till. Cool cool cool cool cool. She tugged on knee-high socks while hopping around like a doofus, and laced up her boots as quickly as she could. 

Then, she calmly sprinted out the door. 

-

It was still bright and sunny as Hikari and Selena walked up the road to the ranch. Selena was rambling on and on, too glad to fill the silence completely with her opinions and musings. Hikari was only there to lead the way and watch, soaking in her stories, and the way the light hit her shoulders, and glinted on her nails and jewelry. Really, Selena wore  _ everything _ like jewelry. She was conscious of every movement she made, as though it were choreographed in advance. She flashed her teeth like pearls, used her hands as accessories instead of tools, wore her hair like a crown, and displayed her collarbone like a necklace. Right then, Selena was smiling at something in the distance, arms floating at her sides, while she spoke. Everything about her was perfectly framed by the sun, Hikari thought.

Then, it broke away.

“Hey, are you listening to me?” Selena pouted. She bent forward at the waist with her hands on her hips.

“Huh?” Hikari snapped out of her daze.

Selena huffed and crossed her arms, straightening her back fast enough to give herself whiplash. 

“I saiiiid that we should go inside. Goddess, are you even awake right now?”

“Uh, I think so?” Hikari said, upturning her brows apologetically. She fidgeted with a strand of hair, tucking and untucking it behind her ear, curling it around her finger. 

Selena leveled her an expectant look. 

“Ah… ah! Right,” Hikari suddenly came back together, waving her arms wildly. She rushed to the door, messed with the key for a moment, then pushed it open with a click.

“C'mon,” she said, pulling Selena in by her arm. She was too focused on the task at hand to hear Selena's undignified yelp at being manhandled. Once they were in the kitchen, she dropped Selena's arm and spun around. 

“Ta-da! Owen helped me some, but we have cake and fried fish ready. They came out looking really good, I hope you like them!”

Selena practically sparkled as she looked at the meal set out for them. 

“Oh! This is exactly right! Just like home,” she fawned. She smiled at the trays of food, her face glowing from happiness. 

Hikari felt her heart almost pound out of its goddamn chest, looking at the pure joy Selena reacted with. She could feel herself melting just looking at her, and she was overcome with the desire to smother Selena in affection. 

“I'm so glad,” she said instead, barely above a whisper.

“Where are the plates?” Selena directed her attention to Hikari, and it was like being hit by the sun. She felt burnt to a crisp on impact.

-

Dinner went without a hitch. Selena praised the food highly, though she said the cake wasn't exactly the right texture. 

Hikari felt like she was running on expresso the whole time. She could feel herself bouncing off the walls in anticipation of every bite, every word. 

When they were finished with the cake, they lingered there. Surprisingly, Selena began to ask questions about her farm. Hikari was happy to oblige, anxiety seeping out of her shoulders as she focused on farming. Selena leaned across the table, resting on her arm and looking generally pleased as Hikari blabbed on, becoming distracted by a tangent on bees.

Before too long, Selena looked at the clock and sighed, pushing her plate back. 

"Looks I have to go. What a shame," she murmured, looking regretful. 

Hikari felt herself deflate. 

"Oh. Yeah," she muttered. "Want me to walk you back?" She tried hopefully.

Selena's eyes sparkled as she seemed to consider it, but then she glanced around the room, then shook her head. "You've already done a lot for me today," she said, quieter than Hikari had ever heard her speak. Hikari's heart sunk.

Hikari was about to protest, but Selena was already up and at the door before she knew it. 

She rushed over as Selena crossed the threshold. "Wait-" she said, holding the door open, "wait!"

Selena paused outside the door, back still turned to her. Hikari lunged for the opening, unsure how long it would last. 

"I really like you!" She burst out. "I want to get to know you better, even though you're so cool and so pretty and I probably don't have a chance but, I…" she began to lose momentum, blushing as she realized what she was saying. 

Selena turned to face her. To Hikari's surprise, she was blushing, and avoiding her eyes. 

"You're so nice," she mumbled, bringing up a hand to cover her mouth in embarrassment. "You make me feel like-" she paused, and cleared her throat. "I mean, of course you would like me. I'm the best dancer in Sonata, aren't I?" She said, flashing an expression full of false bravado, face still red. 

Hikari nodded seriously, and Selena's cocky smile melted into a genuine one. 

"You're sweet. Maybe I wouldn't mind it if we had another date…" she spoke airily.

Hikari went red at the word 'date'. "You mean it?" She said, grabbing her hands, practically bouncing on her heels in excitement.

Selena blushed, but kept her smile. She brought their joined hands up to cradle Hikari's face, then leaned in, and kissed her. 

Hikari went limp in shock. Selena let go of her hands and ran down the path, throwing a wink over her shoulder. "I must get to my adoring fans, but I'll see you soon!" She called. Then, she was gone into the setting sun.

Numbly, Hikari touched her face. Selena had caught her on the corner of her mouth, not quite a proper kiss, and she had left behind a trace of her lip gloss, sparkly and red.

A smile slowly grew until it felt like it was splitting her face in half. " _ Yes!"  _ She crowed, pumping her fist. " _ Fuck yes!".  _

It woke up the chickens, who began to complain and caw, but she was too happy to care. 

She giggled, high on adrenaline, and shut the door as she went inside.

**Author's Note:**

> shout out to people still reading animal parade fanfiction in the year of our lorde 2020, bigger shout out to the Gays still reading animal parade fanfiction in the year of our lorde 2020
> 
> ur the only motherfuckers who can handle me
> 
> lets go lesbians/trans people/bisexuals/gays lets go


End file.
